Several Chickens Killed In Tractor-Trailer Rollover Crash On I-84

A tractor-trailer carrying 5,000 live chickens rolled over on eastbound I-84 near Exit 13 in Southbury on Saturday morning.Photo Credit: Connecticut State PoliceA tractor-trailer carrying 5,000 live chickens rolled over on eastbound I-84 near Exit 13 in Southbury on Saturday morning.Photo Credit: Connecticut State Police

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SOUTHBURY, Conn. — It took over six hours to finish the cleanup after a tractor-trailer carrying a load of over 5,000 live chickens and ducks rolled over on I-84 on Saturday in Southbury, Connecticut State Police said.

The accident occurred on eastbound I-84 near Exit 13 at about 6 a.m. and caused traffic backups into Newtown for hours, according to Connecticut State Police.

The tractor-trailer was carrying 5,164 live chickens and ducks, several of which died in the crash, WFSB said. Newtown Animal Control and the Department of Agriculture inspected the load of chickens and ducks, WFSB said.

Officials from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection also assisted with a fuel spill, and the Department of Transportation with traffic control during the six-hour cleanup, state police said.

The crash occurred before the snow began to fall, but it was coming down as the cleanup continued into the late morning.

Two lanes were closed in the area of the crash, with traffic getting by on the shoulder until the cleanup was complete, according to Connecticut State Police.

The driver of the tractor-trailer sustained minor injuries and received a ticket for failure to maintain the proper lane, WFSB said.

The driver merged onto the right shoulder, for an unknown reason, and struck the cement barrier, WFSB said. The impact caused the tractor-trailer to roll over onto its passenger side, state police said.

The crash scene was cleared and all lanes of I-84 had reopened by about 12:30 p.m. Saturday, state police said.